A screw is the origin of threaded fasteners. A head was formed on a piece of screw thread, in which a saw cut was provided to tighten the screw.

In order to be able to put more force or, for example, to secure the connection against easy sabotage, various other drive forms were devised. The general name for the different forms of drive via a recess is recess.

An example to be able to put more power is the cross recess.

An example to provide reasonable security is the torx with pin recess.

The hexagonal external drive has been designed to tighten with even more force. These were originally heavy fasteners that bolt 2 products together (in English: bolt together).

Bolts are fasteners with a so-called "hexagon drive". Allen screws are actually Allen screws because they have an internal drive. However, the common name has become Allen screws and not entirely unjustified. The hexagonal recess allows more power to be transferred than, for example, with a crosshead.